Wolf and A New Family
by forest303
Summary: Lawrence and Holo are on their way to start a new life with a baby on the way! Contains Fluff! I do not own any of the Spice and Wolf Characters.
1. Wolf and the Journey Ahead

"Lawrence, I'm in need of some new clothes." Holo walked into the next room to find her husband staring out the window.

"New ones? But I just bought you some last month." He stated. He turned around and saw Holo in front of him, with her shirt barely covering half of her large belly. She glared at him.

"Alright, alright. I'll get you some when we're out today. But in the meantime, we can't have you looking like that, so wear this. "He tossed over a piece of clothing to Holo. She took off the shirt she was wearing and put it on. It turned out to be one of Lawrence's sweaters. Holo held up the sleeve to her nose. It smelled of Lawrence and she loved it.

"This will be perfect! "Holo declared.

"Keep in mind, that's just temporary until we get you something prettier."The shirt was huge on her, but she still loved it.

They both finished getting ready and headed into town. Lawrence did some haggling and managed to find Holo some new clothes at a decent price.

"There, that's much better than my big 'ol shirt." Lawrence smiled and wrapped his hand around Holo's waist. She sighed. "What? You don't like them?" He asked

"I'd much rather wear something that smells like you, but this will do." They both laughed and continued to walk through town. Their pace was rather slow, but Lawrence did not mind. He was happy to be walking the streets with his pregnant wolf wife, Holo.

Later the night, they headed to the pub and enjoyed a nice meal of lamb chops and apples, of course, for dessert. Holo found herself beginning to get sick off of so many pints of ale recently, so she kept her drinking to a minimum.

"Holo? Are you alright?" Lawrence asked. With both eyes nearly closed, Holo said a faint, "yes" and then fell forward onto the table. Lawrence chuckled and stood up. He paid for the food and then scooped Holo into his arms. The barmaid was worried about her, but Lawrence simply told the truth; Holo was asleep. He carried her out into the crisp autumn evening and held Holo a little tighter for warmth. Lawrence could also feel Holo's tail twitching beneath her skirts while he carried her home. He laughed and braced himself against the wind. Holo stirred and then softly fell back asleep, quietly snoring. Lawrence gazed down at his bride and smiled. He couldn't believe how lucky he was and decided it was truly fate that brought Holo into his cart that day long ago.

When they reached the Inn where they were staying, Lawrence laid Holo on the bed and went to start a fire. He pondered their journey ahead. Tomorrow was a traveling day and their last stop was just a week's time away. They had decided to settle down in a town called Riazan. It was a nice, large village with plenty of things to do, and it's biggest export, was apples.

After the fire had started to grow, Lawrence took off his shoes and joined his wife in bed. She was on her side facing him with her tail in-between her legs. Her large stomach took up half of Lawrence's side so he snuggled up close to her. He looked at her once more. Their baby would be due in less than a month and they were moving to their new house in a week. Lawrence couldn't believe how fast everything was happening. He always wondered if he'd continue his life as a traveling merchant or if he'd ever settle down. Now that his future was just ahead if him, he felt like he had made the right decision. Holo suddenly turned over and Lawrence then spooned her from the outside. Lawrence happily sighed and drifted off to sleep with the fire crackling in the distance.

"Holo..." A voice said softly. Her ears perked up. " It's time to get up." She slowly opened her eyes and let out a big yawn. Holo stretched her arms above her head and sat up.

"Good Morning," Lawrence kissed her. "We'll be leaving shortly, but I made you some oatmeal for breakfast." He handed her the steaming bowl . She smelled it and then frowned.

"No goat's milk?" She whimpered.

"No, I'm afraid they didn't have any today."

Lawrence went down stairs to get his horse. Meanwhile, Holo gulped down her breakfast and got dressed. She started to think to herself that she hadn't turned into her wolf self in ages. Sure, the body of a human was weak and slow, but this is what kept her connected to Lawrence. She sighed and rubbed her ample middle. But being a pregnant human was very difficult indeed. She heard Lawrence call her name so she gathered up her things and went to go meet him.

When they started traveling, Holo slept in the back of the cart with the tarp over the top. It was a very foggy November morning and Lawrence could hardly see where he was going, but continued on while he could hear Holo softly snoring in the back. He smiled to himself and pulled his scarf a little tighter around his neck.

A few hours later, Holo poked her head from under the tarp.

"Ah, finally awake I see." Lawrence had noticed that recently, a lot of Holo's free time was spent sleeping. She usually slept quite a large amount, but this was even more if he could hardly believe it. But as such, he didn't question it.

"Yes, I had a wonderful nap." She yawned and sat up. "Lots of fog today."

"It hasn't cleared up since we left this morning. Our pace has slowed because of it too." He seemed disappointed, Holo's ears noticed.

"Lawrence, I shall like to ride up front with you." Lawrence stopped the cart and stepped off. Normally, Holo could have just climbed over, but for the past few months, it had been difficult to maneuver. Lawrence walked to the back of the cart and helped her out. Then she stepped up to sit in the front.

"There," she said happily. Holo placed her tail on Lawrence's lap and he immediately felt warmer.

"Thank you." he smiled. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments when Lawrence placed one hand on her stomach.

"How do you feel today?" he asked. Holo leaned into her fellow companion. "Alright, I suppose. I am in the mood for an apple."

"Holo, you're always in the mood for an apple."

"I know, but that does not make it wrong, does it?" She sat up straight and glared at him. Her tail was jumping back and forth under the blanket.

"No, I'm just commenting." These days, Lawrence was very careful on not to upset his dear wife. She had gotten quite testy.

" Holo, I'm not going to sugar coat it, we have a long journey ahead. About a week's worth of straight traveling. There isn't another city until we reach Riazen. Are you going to be alright with that?" Lawrence said, changing the subject.

"Yes, I think as long as I am with you, I will be fine." She snuggled up next to Lawrence and for the moment, everything was perfect.

So, it's just a start, but how do you like it? It's an idea I had in y head for a couple of days. I don't know if I'll continue yet…if I do end up writing more, I certainly have a lot of things to think about! Anyway, tell me what you think :)


	2. Wolf and The Bear

Wow, so I received quite a lot of requests for me to continue this story! I'm happy that you guys want to read more. I don't know how quickly I can publish chapters (depends on what life throws at me), but I will try to my best. Thanks!

Later that night, Holo and Lawrence were huddled together, next to the fire, and under the stars. Despite the morning, the night sky was very clear and Lawrence quietly gazed as his wife slept next to him. He knew he needed to sleep, but he had so many things on his mind and the stars seemed to soothe his worries. Mostly, he was worried about their house. A business acquaintance had said he would save the house for them when he retired, but what if something had happened? He didn't the two of them to travel all of this way and not have a place to live. He wanted to buy a great, big house for his family, but until he got his store settled and running, he could only afford the down payment on what his friend called a "regular" house, whatever that meant. He sighed. "Well, there's no good worrying about it now. " he whispered to the stars. He threw some dirt over the fire and closed his eyes.

The next morning was a busy one. The two travelers woke up nice and early, or rather, one got up and fed the horse while the other crawled into the cart to continue sleeping again, and were on their way towards their new home. Lawrence whistled while he rode up front and as usual, Holo slept in the back. He was so confused as to why he had been worried the night before. Everything was going to be fine. They were each in great health and capable of making another journey if this town didn't work out. He continued to whistle until about a couple of hours later when his throat started to dry. He happened past a spring and decided to stop and take a drink. Lawrence cupped his hands and slurped until they were empty. He heard a rustling nearby, but didn't pay any attention. He drank one more handful and decided to grab a cup so he could save some for the rest of the journey. As he started to walk back the several yards to the cart, he came face to face with a gigantic black bear. The bear growled and showed off its fine, sharp teeth. Lawrence backed slowly away, but the bear began to charge at him. Lawrence turned and dashed to the cart screaming, "Holo!"

As the bear approached, their horse started kicking and convulsing in a maddening way. Hearing the commotion, the wolf's ears shot straight up. Lawrence made it breathless to the cart and looked at the bear. It was in full defense mode standing up on its hind legs. Lawrence happened to look at Holo who was standing next to him taking off her clothes. He saw her throw wheat on the ground and shouted, "Holo, no!", but it was too late. There she stood in her monumental true form. The Wise Wolf jumped and slashed at the bear. She had no mercy. After several minutes of fighting, the bear let out one final growl before closing its eyes and fell to the ground. Lawrence gazed in shock on what he had just witnessed. Holo was panting and her large tongue stuck out of her mouth. Lawrence could see her row of sharp teeth and shuddered. He was so glad she was on his side. Suddenly, she collapsed on the ground and slowly turned back into a human.

"Holo!" Lawrence screamed. He sprinted over to her and lowered himself to the ground. Lawrence took her head in his hands and had wide eyes. His heart stopped. He couldn't blink. He couldn't breathe. He gently shook her, "Holo!" he said once more. After a few moments she winced a little, "That took much of my strength, but I'm alright." She weakly smiled and fell limp in his arms. He hugged her tightly and whispered, "Thank you, Holo, for saving my life."

Lawrence had carried Holo over to a soft grassy area and propped her up against a tree. Every moment he could, he kneeled beside her and could hear her faintly breathing. He had also put her clothes back on in case any travelers happened to pass by. Lawrence managed to calm his horse with some soothing brushing and had started a stew with some ingredients he had in his cart. He wearily walked back to the stream to collect some water and then rushed right back to his campsite. He didn't even have time to think about what had happened. He considered himself a courageous man, but he had quite a freight. He would need to thank Holo again. But he was sure of one thing, the bear did make a fine stew. He heard Holo whimper a little and he looked over. She was waking up. He fixed her up a bowl of stew and brought over the jug of water.

"Oh, thank you. I'm parched." Holo said and she then began to gulp down some water.

"Holo," Lawrence started to say but he was cut off.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"About three hours." He said and sat next to her. Holo looked at him and then rubbed her stomach. "I'm glad to know my family is safe." She looked to her right, "I know what you're thinking. It's all my fault. I was too quick to act and now we've lost almost an entire day of travel." Tears started to well in her eyes.

"Oh, Holo. I don't care about our travel time. You know I only care that you're not hurt, right?" He leaned and cupped her face and kissed her softly. "I appreciate your actions, but you didn't need to put yourself in danger. Couldn't we have just ran from the bear?"

"Lawrence, I'm fine. That bear was blinded by rage and could not have been calmed down. It would has killed us both. The only thing to do was stop it from hurting you…" She started.

He sighed. "Alright, but just be more careful. You can't do things as easily as you used to." He picked up the bowl beside him. "Would you like some bear stew?" He smiled.

Holo's eyes lit up and she readily took the bowl from him and started to slurp it down.

"Glad you like it! I made up the recipe right now. It's interesting, but I'm quite fond of it already."

"Yes, it's delicious! I shall like to eat this more often!" Her tail bounced up and down and she licked the bowl clean. Lawrence held out his hand.

"Well, Holo the Wise Wolf, I think we can ride a couple more hours, but once it gets dark we should set up camp again." Holo nodded and Lawrence pulled her up by the arms. They both walked hand to the front of the cart and continued towards their new home.

Yay, they're almost to their new home!


	3. Wolf and the Idea

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lateness, I've been pretty busy with school. Here's the next chapter. I made it longer to make up for it being late :)

* * *

"Tomorrow we shall arrive in Riazan, but tonight we shall camp here first." Lawrence put some wood on the fire he was building. Holo walked up holding a slice of bread. She ripped it in two and handed one half to Lawrence.

"Oh, thank you," he said politely "You know, I wish we had some wine. It sure would taste wonderful tonight."

"I agree, " Holo said as she snuggled up next to Lawrence by the fire, "We shall buy it first thing tomorrow. Lawrence," she started slowly, "I hate to be a bother, but when are we going to arrive at our new house? I long so much to sleep in a real bed. This ground is so hard here."

"We should arrive there tomorrow afternoon if all goes as planned. But I thought you used to sleep outside all of the time before you met me."

"Yes, but I would at least find a comfy patch of grass. This forest floor offers nothing but twigs and rocks and hard soil underneath. And it doesn't help that there is sap on my hands, in my hair, and in my beautiful tail from these idiot pine trees!" She gasped.

"Shh.." Lawrence whispered. He wrapped his arms around and cradled her in his arms. "Don't worry, my love, tomorrow night we shall be sleeping in our warm new house, in a soft comfy bed, wrapped in each other's arms waiting for the arrival of our little child."

"Mmm..that sounds wonderful." Holo said as she closed her eyes. Before long, the two slowly fell asleep just as the fire burned out.

* * *

Holo awoke to flutters across her stomach. She smiled and slowly opened her eyes. She breathed in the fresh morning air and could hear some lovely birds chirping. Holo was still lying atop of Lawrence who was surprisingly still asleep. That was a first, getting up before him. Well, not exactly getting up. She tried to sit up, but felt like a foolish turtle turned upside down. She pouted but there was no one to help her. She waited as long as she could until she needed to get up. Lawrence's leg was next to her face and she shook it furiously. No response. She put her arm over her head and grabbed at the air until she felt Lawrence's hair. She patted his head until she heard a light groan.

"Lawrence?" She said quietly but loud enough for him to hear her.

"Err.." he responded.

"Lawrence I need you to help me up. I have to go to the bathroom. Please, it's urgent!" She huffed. Another groan came from Lawrence, but he slowly stood up on wobbly legs. Still half asleep, he leaned against a tree and helped her stand up. She rushed off to the woods while Lawrence laid back down on the ground.

When Holo came back, she found Lawrence still groaning.

"What's the matter?" She asked soothingly.

"Oh, my neck! I should not have slept sitting up in such an awkward position." He rubbed his neck and shoulders. "Holo, I feel awful. Do you mind if we wait a little while until we travel?"

"We will not wait!" Holo said sternly. Then with a grin, added, "Because I will drive the wagon!" She snickered as she looked at Lawrence's worried face. She stood over him and looked him in the eye. "Come on, now, I'll help _you_ up this time."

Lawrence laughed. "You know, you look even bigger from down here."

Holo sneered and lifted her shoe. "I want this and I know you always get me what I want. There's no use arguing." She teased him and pretended to step on his face.

"Alright, alright!" he laughed. "Miss Holo will be driving the cart this morning." Holo smiled feeling proud.

"Now, let me just boil some water.

"What for?" He asked.

"You'll see."

* * *

When the water was hot, Holo threw a large cloth in the pot and stirred it with a stick.

She kneeled on the ground. Holo gently scooped Lawrence's head in her hands. He winced but continued to sit up. "There, now," Holo folded the cloth and wrapped it around Lawrence's shoulders. "This should help a bit. Hot towels always make me feel better." The she gently started to massage Lawrence's neck,

"Ahh…that does feel nice."

"Can you stand up?"

"Yes, I think so." Holo helped him up (with support from a nearby tree) and Lawrence then laid down in the cart. Holo packed up their things and climbed up into the front.

"Holo, do you even know how to handle a horse and cart?"

"I am Holo, the Wise Wolf. I have lived long and seen many people do it. I think I will do just fine." Lawrence sighed but Holo didn't hear. She picked up the reins and made a loud crack. The cart went flying down the road! Everything shook and rattled around. Holo laughed out loud.

"Why don't we always go this fast! We would get there much quicker and it is much more fun!"

"Holo!" Lawrence yelled from the back. "Slow down!" he was upset, Holo could tell. The cart thenhit a big rock and went flying a couple of feet into the air. The horse neighed very loudly. The cart landed with a large smack on the ground. Lawrence let out another yell.

"How do I stop?" Holo yelled amongst the vibrations of the rocky road.

"Pull one of the reins!" he shouted from the cart. Holo did as he told her and eventually the horse came to a stop.

Nothing was said.

Holo smoothed out her hair and gently pulled on the reins. The horse began to walk.

"Holo!" Lawrence shouted from the back. "Are you trying to kill us?! I've half a mind to make you stop right now!"

She didn't answer. She knew what she had done and she felt awful about it. She didn't want to cry, but suddenly she could feel her hormones bubbling up the surface. She sniffled.

Lawrence sighed. "Holo, please say something. Are you alright?" Still no answer, but he could hear some sniffling. Finally, she mumbled, "I'm sorry."

Holo stopped the cart and turned around. Lawrence saw her watery eyes and laughed. "That was terribly frightening." He laughed out loud once more and then winced. Lawrence wiped away tears in his eyes. "I'm so happy we're alright!" he gasped. He looked over at Holo, who was no doubt, feeling ashamed and motioned her to come over. She stepped down and around to the back where Lawrence was. He reached for her hand and squeezed. "Holo, it's ok. I'm just glad you stopped in time before anything serious happened." She sat on the edge of the wooden cart. "You know what my first thought was? I was worried you'd fall off and hurt yourself, and our child." he gently stroked the edge of her face. " I don't want to lecture you, but you've got to be more careful."

"I am _not_ a child!" Holo hissed.

"Oh, believe me, I know! But what's with you, is." He motioned towards her stomach. Holo looked down and set her hand on the top of her stomach.

She sighed a big, sarcastic sigh, but then genuinely said, "You're right." She looked at him and gently rubbed his shoulder. "Are you still in pain?"

"I think I'm too relieved to feel any pain now! Come on, let's get going." He smiled.

* * *

So, what do you all think? Any comments, questions? :)


	4. Wolf and the Blue Door

Goodness, gracious! I'm so happy everyone likes this story so much. :D To make up for lost time, I've written 2 new chapters. Hope you like them!

* * *

That afternoon, Holo's shouts could be heard from miles away. "We're finally in Riazan! Home, home!" She cheered. They had just rode past the front gate and were on their way to pick up the key to their new house. Lawrence had done business with a man who lived in Riazan who agreed to help them hold a house until Lawrence and Holo arrived just a few weeks later. Lawrence hoped the man had held up his end of the bargain.

They made a short stop at the local tavern to eat some lunch.

"I'm much too excited to eat." Holo said as she stared at the chicken on the table.

"Holo, you need to eat something. I promise to eat quickly." he winked at her and she began to munch on some potatoes. "I just hope Borin has our house for us. That's what I' most worried about." Lawrence said nervously.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure he will." Holo reassured him but could tell that only a visit to Borin would calm him. "Alright, come on." She stood and grabbed Lawrence's arm.

He looked at her in surprise.

"We're both so anxious, why don't we just go now. Besides, we can always get something to eat later too." She began to tug at his shirt.

"I suppose you're right. Once we know where we'll be living I'll feel much better." They paid for their meal and then headed off.

When they got to Borin's house, he gave them a big yell, "Lawrence, my good ol' friend!" He walked over and gave Lawrence a bear hug. Borin was a very large man indeed. He stood well over Lawrence and had the physic of a grizzly bear. He had a mountain-man beard and hairy arms to match.

"How are yeh? I haven't seen yeh in person for at least a decade!" he looked over at Holo. "And this must be your wife? What a ravishing beauty!" he chuckled. Then he took them both in his arms, "Just look at the two 'o you! Gettin' married, havin' kids, why it could just make meh cry!" He pretended to sniff. "Well, come on in! It's cold outside!"

* * *

"I can't thank you enough, Borin." Lawrence said as he sipped his coffee. All three of them were sitting by the fireplace in Borin's mansion, sipping hot drinks.

"It's really no problem. Yeh just happened to ask meh at the right time. Granted, yer house is small, but it sure is a beau-tay." He got up and surveyed the room. "Now, let meh just find the key." He walked into another room and started fumbling through some drawers. Meanwhile, Lawrence slid down and joined his wife on the rug in front of the fireplace.

"How're yeh doing?" Lawrence said teasing Holo. She giggled at his impression.

"This fire is making me awfully sleepy," Holo yawned. "I'd like to arrive at our new house soon." She closed her eyes and leaned on his shoulder. Lawrence smiled and put his arm around Holo. She slid down until she was laying in his lap. They both looked into the fire and sighed. So many emotions entangled in their minds.

"So do I, Holo."

"What do you think our new house will be like?"

"I think it will be wonderful." He said and squeezed her a little tighter. Holo yawned once more.

"Holo-" Lawrence said, but then got interrupted.

"I've found the key! Let's get going." Borin boomed.

Lawrence stood and then gently woke Holo and helped her up. "Holo, Borin's taking us to our new house."

"Oh, good." she said still a little sleepily.

Then, they all piled in the front of the cart and headed off to their new home.

* * *

"It's quite chilly out today." Lawrence commented as he rubbed his hands together.

" Heh heh, oh don't worry, yer skin will thicken up if yeh live here long enough." Borin laughed. "However, it's almost winter. We're expecting the snow very soon!" Lawrence nodded and then felt Holo hold his hand. She sent a sweet smile in his direction, and he did the same.

"Borin," Holo asked, "How long have you lived here?"

"Since the day my mum bore me! I did travel around a it when I was a youngin' but I came back." he grinned.

"So, the people in this town, they are good people?"

"Oi, the best! I've so many good friends. I'd love to introduce them to yeh once yer settled." Holo flashed another smile in Lawrence's direction and gently rubbed her stomach.

"Oh!" Holo squealed. Lawrence looked over to Holo and her crinkled face.

"Borin, if you could take it easy on the bumps…" Lawrence started.

"My dear, so sorry about that. I recon this horse of yers is awfully tired from your long travels? He's gettin' a little sloppy on his footin'."

"I'm afraid so, yes."

"Don't worry, we're almost there." And Borin was right, just up the hill stood their new house. It had a brown wood exterior paired with a scalloped black roof. A large blue door was placed in the center of two windows. Also a tiny little chimney erected on the left side.

"It's perfect!" Holo squealed. She stumbled out of the cart and rushed up to the door. She put her hand on the blue color and smiled. "It even feels perfect. Ripe with old age but still full of charm. Can we go inside?"

"Just as soon as I open the door!" Borin said excitedly. He took the key from his pocket and began to unlock the door.

"Wait, Holo," Lawrence said as he caught up to them, "There's a tradition in my family that the man must carry what he loves the most into the house first." With that Lawrence scooped up Holo into his arms -with just a bit of stumbling - and carried her over the threshold.

"My dear Holo, welcome home." Lawrence said proudly and then kissed her. Holo kissed him back a little more passionately than he expected, but went along with it.

"Thank you so much." She said as she pulled away. Lawrence set her down and they both took a look around.

"You said this house was small? I think it's much bigger than I expected for the price." Lawrence startled.

"Yeh don't like it? I mean, it's certainly not bigga than my place, but I thought-." Borin started to twist his shirt in his hands.

"No, no, Borin! You've done a well job. I'm thankful!" Lawrence patted him on the back.

"Oh, good, Lawrence. I'd hate to disappoint a friend." he said relieved.

Holo walked in from another room and took Borin's hand, "I love it." Holo smiled very wide and then gave him a great big hug. Borin tried his best not to squish her, but he could not help it.

"Oh, I'm so happy you two are pleased. Listen, I've got to get back to my shop, but once you're settled come by and visit. Don't be a stranger!"

"Thank you so much Borin! Listen, would you like to use my cart to get back? I don't mind. I can pick it up later this evening or maybe even tomorrow."

"That would help me out very much. Are yeh sure?"

"Yes, my good friend. Take it as a thank you from me."

"Yes, sir." Borin quikly gave hugs and shook hands and hopped into the cart outside.

Lawrence closed the door behind him and then sprawled out on the floor. "Isn't it great Holo? A house all to ourselves!" She huffed at the ground and then joined Lawrence on the floor. She stretched and yawned.

"I'm thankful for the size, but unfortunately, the house has no furniture. You'll have to go get some."

"That's alright, I expected to any way. Lawrence replied

"I thought it would. Where ever am I going to take my naps?"

" Don't worry, we'll get everything when we travel into town later."

Suddenly, they heard a horse neigh loudly outside. Then they heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." Holo answered. It was Borin.

"I forgot to give you your key!" he reached into his pocket and handed it Lawrence. "Alright, now I'll be off."

"Wait, Borin. I think we may come with you to get some things in town. Does that sound fair, Holo."

She nodded with her eyes closed while lying on the floor.

"Great, I'll met yeh outside." Borin walked away and Lawrence went over to help Holo off of the floor.

"However, I think I'd like to ride in the back with a blanket. I'm feeling quite sore today." She rubbed her back.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Lawrence asked as they walked out and locked the front door.

"An apple?" She said slyly.

"Of course, they're one of this town's biggest exports.

* * *

Later that evening, Lawrence and Holo were again at Borin's house, this time laughing and joking like old friends.

"And to this day, I will never eat duck." Laughed Lawrence. He looked out the window. "Holo, I think we'd better head home. It's starting to get dark." She nodded and stood.

"Please come visit meh again. I love talkin' with friends." Borin said in his booming voice. He shook Lawrence's hand, but then pulled him into a bear hug at the last second.

"I'm so happy for yeh Lawrence. This one here, she's a firecracker, but I know yeh two will be fortunate together."

"Borin," Holo said as she beckoned him closer and gave him a peck on the cheek, " Thank you so much for what you've done for our family." She stood beside Lawrence as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "You've helped us meet new people tonight, helped us get exactly what we'll need for the cold winter ahead, and gave us advice along the way."

Borin started blubbering and wiped his eye with his handkerchief. "Yer welcome. Now let me make sure everything's secure." They walked outside and looked at the cart. That evening, Holo and Lawrence had managed to find a full-sized bed, a couple of chairs, a small table, some firewood, and of course, two baskets filled with apples.

"Look's like everything is fine. Be careful on the windy roads at night. Good luck in yer new home!" He waved goodbye as the horse and cart started up the road.

Holo snuggled up under a blanket next to Lawrence and closed her eyes. She'd had a long day and was thoroughly exhausted. She slightly looked up at Lawrence and saw that he had tired eyes too.

"We'll sure sleep well tonight, Lawrence."

"And why is that?"

"Well, we have a new home to be together in and we're both completely exhausted." She smiled and rubbed her stomach.

"I agree." he sighed

"Lawrence, the baby's kicking. Would you like to feel?" He looked over and nodded. Holo took one of his hands and placed it in her stomach.

"Oh, goodness!" He cried. "I can actually feel it."

"Yes, doesn't it feel wonderful, Lawrence?"

"Very wonderful. Our family is growing more each day." He beamed. Lawrence held his hand there for the rest of the way home.

* * *

They arrived at home and both walked into the door. "Holo, why don't you start a fire in the fireplace and I'll start bringing in the furniture." Holo nodded and carried some wood over from the cart. She started the fire and sat on the floor in front of the flames. The bare wood floor was so cold. She wrapped her feet in her long skirt and rubbed the side of the her stomach. Lawrence then came in with one of the baskets of apples.

"Lawrence, do you need any help?"

"No, just relax. I don't want you to strain yourself." He began to set the basket down by the door but then walked over to the fireplace and plopped it down next to Holo.

"Apples!" Lawrence saw Holo's tail start to wag. She grabbed one and took a big bite out of it and grinned at Lawrence who laughed in response. He continued to bring things in until all that was left was the bed. He looked it up and down and tried to figure out how he was going to move it inside. He decided to start with the mattress. Slowly, he lifted and the then pulled out slightly. Lifted then pulled. Lifted then pulled. He stopped suddenly. Once he got it off the cart he couldn't drag it through the dirt… He thought to himself. He was much too exhausted to finish the job and decided he would see if his new next door neighbor was home.

Knock, knock.

The door opened to a woman holding a mixing bowl wearing a purple apron.

"Excuse me, ma'am, sorry to bother you so late, but I'm your new next door neighbor. I just moved in today and was wondering if there is someone one in your house that's willing to help me move my furniture?" He smiled politely at the woman. The woman turned around and sweetly yelled, "Anselm! Come down here." Then she turned to Lawrence. "My son can help you. He's a strong, farm boy." She said proudly.

"Yes, mum?" Lawrence heard from inside.

"I'd like you to help this nice man. He's our new neighbor. " She turned to Lawrence again and asked, "I don't even know your name. What is it?"

"Kraft Lawrence, but most people just call me Lawrence."

"I'm Matilda, but folks around here call me Til. Nice to meetcha."

"Likewise." He nodded.

Lawrence and Anselm walked over to the cart and explained the situation. "I just need you to help me get the mattress and the bed frame into the house."

"No problem, sir."

"You don't need to call me sir. Lawrence is just fine."

"Thank you s- Lawrence." Although Anselm was small in size, he could lift a lot more than Lawrence expected.

"Anselm, how old are you?" Lawrence asked him when they had gotten the mattress in the doorway.

"I am twelve and a half." He grinned up at Lawrence who pushed the mattress into the room. He lost his grip on it and it landed with a loud thud. Holo jumped and quickly spun around.

"Sorry about that, but we got the mattress inside."

"Lawrence who is this?" She looked over at the strange boy in her house.

"Oh, this is the boy who lives next door. He's helping move some furniture."

"Nice to meet you ma'am. My name is Anselm." he gave his head a nod and then looked up into Holo's face.

"Well, Anselm, very nice to meet you too. My name is Holo. She held out her hand to him and he shook it. Would you like an apple? We've got a whole basket here."

"No, thank you. I'm sick of apples. We eat them all of the time."

"How could tire of apples!" Holo said genuinely shocked. "Their sweet, crisp taste is so divine." She held one up and gazed at it. Anselm seemed a little embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

"Come on, Anselm. Let's go get the frame now." Lawrence said changing the subject.

* * *

When they had finished, Lawrence gave Anselm a silver coin and sent him back to his mother. Then, when everything was finally inside in its proper place, he locked the door and joined Holo by the fire.

"Holo, it's late. We should get ourselves into bed. We've had a long day or rather few weeks, but now we can finally relax. We made it." He smiled sweetly at Holo who barely had her eyes open.

"That's sounds very good." Lawrence stood and helped Holo stand. They both looked at the fire once more and walked into the next room, their bedroom. Too tired to remove their clothes, they both curled up into bed next to each other.

"Good night, Holo. I love you so much." He kissed her forehead and pulled her in a little closer.

"I love you too, Lawrence." She yawned and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Isn't Borin a sweet, loveable giant? I love him so much. By the way, I was eating an apple when I wrote this and it was quite fantastic. On to the next chapter! :)


	5. Wolf and the Snow

The next day, the sun shone through the curtain less window and Holo squinted awake. She was alone in bed and noticed Lawrence wasn't even in the room. She tried to sit up but she felt too weak.

"Lawrence?" She called in a raspy, morning voice. A few moments later, Lawrence waltzed in.

"Oh I thought I heard something. Good morning, Holo!"

Holo made a small grunt.

"What is it?" Lawrence asked moving his face closer in.

"I don't feel very well this morning." Holo whimpered. She rolled over to her right side to face Lawrence. He sat on the edge of the bed and brushed his hand on her face.

"Did you sleep alright?"

"Yes, the bed is very comfortable but this morning my head hurts and whole body aches." She groaned and closed her eyes. Lawrence placed his hand on her forehead.

"You don't have a fever, that's good." He rubbed her shoulder and asked, " Is there anything I can get you?"

"I would like some water."

We-" Lawrence stumbled, "don't have any dishes. And also, there's nothing in the house to eat but apples. I know you could live off of nothing but apples but I'd like something a little more substantial. I'm going to head to town in a bit, do you want to join me?"

Holo shook her head and pulled the covers closer to her neck.

"Lawrence," she said, " it's cold."

"Alright, I'll start a fire too". Lawrence kissed her forehead and left the room. Holo then turned over to sleep again.

* * *

"Holo! I'm leaving now! I'll see you soon." Lawrence shouted from the front door. He knew Holo had to have heard him and then decided it was alright to leave. Holo did hear him but didn't feel much like answering. She rolled over to her back. Then she lifted her nightgown and began to rub her bare stomach. The baby was very active this morning. Almost as if he or she had six legs. She laid there until she absolutely had to get up to use the bathroom. After, when she walked out of the bathroom, she took a blanket and went to sit by the fire. She looked at its lovely shades and hues of red. She sighed and enjoyed the warmth radiating all over her. Holo sat there peacefully for a good half an hour and then she felt her stomach grumble. Luckily, the basket of apples happened to be right next her. She took one in her hand and nibbled on it. She placed her other hand on the bottom of her large stomach and felt a small kick in return. She smiled. "I'm so anxious to meet you little one. I'm sure your Papa is too."

Holo looked around. The front room of the house was quite nice. There were two large windows by the blue front door. There was an open doorway to the kitchen on the back wall and there were two rooms and two bathrooms on either side of the house. The fireplace shared a wall with the door to their bedroom. It was the perfect size for their growing family. The front room was completely empty. In fact, all of the rooms were empty except for the kitchen that had a table and chairs and their bed in their bedroom. Holo began to panic. _They didn't have anything_! How were they going to live? Just this morning she couldn't have a drink of water because they didn't have any cups. She got very worried and decided she needed to write down everything to buy. Then, when she realized they had no paper, her hormones got the best of her and she began to cry. She almost howled and wrapped herself tighter in the blanket. The baby kicked a little and she replied, " You _cannot_ be born yet. You need to wait a little longer." She whimpered. "We're not ready." As she continued to cry she desperately wanted to see Lawrence. Her feeling of panic rose when she realized she could not stand up. She felt so weak and couldn't find the strength in herself. She wasn't used to feeling like this. Usually she could do anything she set her mind to, but today she felt completely different. Holo felt completely helpless and she didn't like it.

On the other hand, she was starting to realize that it was alright to show weakness in front of Lawrence. She knew humans were weak by nature but hers was a different kind of weakness. She felt more vulnerable, but was slowly learning that it was ok. All of her life she had never trusted anyone and her life was a closed book. Now that Lawrence was in her life, she felt like she had someone to lean on if she wasn't strong enough. She supposed that living as a human wasn't completely awful if she had Lawrence around with her.

* * *

About an hour went by and Holo was still by the fire trying to make a mental list of everything they needed when she heard the door open. It was Lawrence carrying two large burlap bags. He closed the door with his foot and saw Holo sitting.

"Holo, it's snowing outside!" Lawrence rejoiced. He look at her more closely and could tell that she had been crying. He immediately dropped the bags he was holding and rushed over.

"Holo, what's wrong?" He exclaimed.

"We don't have anything in the house! I started to panic, we don't have dishes or furniture or curtains. We don't even have a crib Lawrence!" She felt tears rushing to her eyes and held herself against him.

"Oh, but we do. I had to cut today's trip a little short because of the snow, but I bought a lot of what we needed. Look." He stood up and carried the bags over to her. "There's cups and plates and towels in here. The other bag has good food like potatoes, bread, eggs…and there's even more outside." He held her in his arms. "You know I'll always get you what you need. I though you'd know this by now." He smiled and dried her tears with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Thank you, Lawrence. You're so good to me."

"Holo, I should be thanking you. The day you arrived in my cart my whole world turned upside down and for the better. And now you're carrying our child! That's more than I could ever repay you." He looked her in the eye. "You know I'm not completely emotional, but I want you to know that I love you and will do whatever you'd like to make sure you're comfortable and happy." Lawrence himself was on the verge of tears . They both laughed, quickly wiping their eyes. And hugged again.

"Lawrence, what are you wearing?" Holo said to change the subject.

"I bought myself a new hat. Do you like it?" It was a knitted blue hat with a large white pom-pom on the top.

"Yes, very much." She giggled as she touched the pom-pom. "Show me what else you bought." She said happily.

"Let me go get the rest before it's snowed on!" Lawrence ran outside. It took him a few trips to get everything inside, but once got had gotten everything, he slumped over to the fire and laid down on his back.

"My silly cat." Holo mumbled.

"What was that?" Lawrence asked.

"Oh, nothing." Holo giggled.

"Holo, I'm so happy to be home and done for the day. The winds out there are fierce and snow is already starting to pile up. I hope I bought enough food." He seemed worried. Holo laid next to him and wrapped the blanket over them both. She didn't say anything, but she was worried also. Not just about food, but of the beginning of their life together and about the approaching birth of their child. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she heard a noise coming from her stomach.

"Holo? Are you hungry?"

"I suppose this little one demands food." She laughed.

"Well, how about I make us some nice hot oatmeal? Does that sound good?"

"Yes! That sounds delicious!" Her tail began to wag. Lawrence stood up and stretched. Holo raised her arms to let him know she needed help getting up. He held underneath her arms and slowly helped her rise. She put her hand on her head.

"I am dizzy." Lawrence guided her over to a chair in the kitchen while he started preparing the food. Holo combed her hair with her fingers while she waited. When the food was ready, they both sat at the kitchen table and each devoured their oatmeal. Holo stood and walked off to the bathroom. Lawrence watched her leave. She looked so tiny in her billowy, white nightgown. He sighed happily to himself and took their dishes to the sink.

* * *

"It's snowing pretty heavily out there. We might not be able to get into town for a couple of days."

The two had settled themselves once again, in front of the fire, but this time with many more pillows and blankets.

"Do we need to go back into town?" Holo asked.

"I didn't get everything we needed. We still need more furniture." He looked around at the bare room. "And I couldn't find a crib either." Lawrence suddenly jumped up. "Oh, I forgot to give you something." He ran to the bedroom and came out with what looked like a folded up piece of fabric.

"What, curtains?" Holo asked.

"Look inside." He said as he sat back down. Holo unwrapped the fabric and pulled out three tiny white onesies."

"They were having a three for the price of one sale. I figured we needed them soon." He reached over and rubbed hr stomach. Holo looked up and jumped on him sending both o then to the floor.

"I love them!" She said kneeling over him. Her tail had made its way outside of her nightgown and furiously wagged side to side. Holo kissed Lawrence all over his face and they both ended up laughing . Holo sat up and placed one over her stomach.

"How does it look?"

"Perfect." Lawrence said as he kissed her again.

Soon, it was time for bed. The two burrowed underneath the many blankets on their bed and blew out the lantern.

"Lawrence, what do you suppose we'll do tomorrow?"

"We can do anything you'd like. " He hummed slightly.

"I think I would like to go into town."

"We'll have to see how much snow there is, but if we can, I'd like to join you." He kissed her forehead and the two quietly drifted off to sleep

* * *

They're finally settled in their new home!


End file.
